Drysuit Zipper Care How I Do It

Drysuit Zipper Care How I Do It
Well you guys have been asking for a video on how to take good care of you Drysuit Zipper, so here it is. In this video, Instructor Bryan Stafford shows you what he does to take good care of his Drysuit Zipper, and whether or not he leaves it open or closed during storage.
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[@ts440s]

Great video, like the dry bag.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thanks john metyk

[@TanjaHase_Fronczek]

Great video, thanks. P.s. my dry suit doesn’t have rock boots either so I stuff a dish towel in each foot which allows me to hang it on the hanger by the feet just as if it had boots 😉

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thanks for sharing @TanjaHase_Fronczek. The towel is a great idea.

[@sayittrue9570]

Great tips on zipper care.i have a typhoon neo quantum which has a brass zipper and use beeswax as supplied with the suit from typhoon.my only problem with my suit I get is that the glide skin seals at the wrist keep splitting on the stitching.again my suit has gone back to typhoon second time this year since I purchased it back in January for the same repair.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thanks sayittrue. Sorry to hear you are having trouble with your seals.

[@nunogirao8097]

Use the suspenders to hang the suit in upright position and you will not stress the shoulders and neck seal that way. Also, be careful not to pinch the neckseal between the hanger and the hanger rail. In the neoprene suit, you just do that.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thanks for the suggestion.

[@apitz4umh]

Good info my brother... One day i like to try wear this dry suit..

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Come see us, and you can try mine out.

[@apitz4umh]

@@LakeHickoryScuba Your address please... Thanks brother.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

420 Taylorsville Beach Ct., Taylorsville, NC 28681

[@apitz4umh]

LakeHickoryScuba Thanks brother...

[@logistictime7846]

Nice video, maresMan )

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thanks Logistic Time.

[@argonk]

Great video! Okay to lubricate a brass zipper while it is open? What about to gently warm it up with a hairdryer? Not sure if I did something wrong or if the zipper is defect, but it started leaking at the second (attempt to) dive.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

You most likely heated up the glue holding the zipper on, causing a leak. I wouldn't recommend using a hair dryer.

[@argonk]

@@LakeHickoryScuba What a beginner's mistake. Indeed, even though I was gentle with the hair dryer, I noticed the brass got quite hot. Thanks for your feedback! The suit is in warranty and hopefully I can get away with it...

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Hopefully you can get your suit repaired very quickly. You can also order the glue and do it yourself, but, if its still under warranty, just let them do it. They can also pressure test it for you.

[@pearls4avant]

what bag is that for the Tri-Lam? i like the separate undergarment pocket!

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Hello Andrew Chang, this is a bag that comes with any new Drysuit from OS Systems.

[@hanschristianlundberg7681]

On the plastic zipper, do you lubricate the docking end or just the outside of the zipper? I've heard everything from "just lube the docking end" to "never lube the docking end", what's your take on it?

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Hello hanschristianlundberg7681. Starting on March 6th, we have an entire series coming out on Drysuit diving. One of those videos goes into details on zipper lubrications. But a short answer would be, I simply lubricate the outside edge of the teeth. Just enough so the zipper truck gets an equal amount of lubrication while zipping and unzipping the suit.

[@ts440s]

Even though I use a 5mm suit in florida winters, water temp 68deg, i still shiver after 45min, what drysuit suit would you recommend for this environment. Thanks

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

The biggest benefit for using a neoprene drysuit is, they are warm without any insulation, and if they are custom fitted, they work the same as a wetsuit in the event of a catastrophic failure. For the types of diving you have described, I would suggest the neoprene. I use both for very specific reasons. You could always add a 3mm hooded vest under you 5mm, this way you would have 8mm on your chest and an additional hood. Much cheaper option. It all comes down to comfort.

[@simon1234567ful]

Im having a custom drysuit made soon. Would you recommend recommend metal or plastik zip (YKK). I basically only to rec diving. Dont need an ultra tough zip. But ive heard that the plastics leak quite fast

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Hello Simon, for front entry suits I like the Brass Zipper, for back entry suits I prefer the Plastic Zippers.

[@simon1234567ful]

@@LakeHickoryScuba thanks, how come brass for front entry? Do you think theyre more durable, better etc?

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

As far as durability goes, I have found the Brass Zipper to be more durable in the long run. For the types of diving I do with my front entry drysuit (Salvage and Public Safety Diving), the brass zipper holds up better than the plastic zipper. The biggest issue for the plastic as a back entry zipper, they tend to be more comfortable going across my shoulders.

[@brianredmond4919]

Any tips for a stuck brass zipper ?. I don’t want to force it.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Hello Brian Redmond. This is a tricky one. If it is closed and you need to open it, you can reach through the neck seal and use a tooth brush with a mixture of vinegar and baking soda to help break up the corrosion in the zipper. You can do the same if the zipper is already open and and the zipper truck is corroded to the teeth. Just mix the baking soda and vinegar in a bowl, and then dip your tooth brush into it. Then scrub around the zipper and inside the zipper truck. This should free it up. Make sure you scrub the teeth out with the brush as well, then apply a thin layer of paraffin wax to the teeth. This should keep it nice and lubricated for you. Also, if it is closed and stuck, when you reach through the neck seal, make sure there is no lose threads stuck in the zipper. Do an inspection both inside and outside to see if you can see any threads sticking through. Hope this helps.

[@brianredmond4919]

@@LakeHickoryScuba thanks. Is PTFE spray recommended?.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Brian to be honest, I couldn't tell you. That would be a great question for the manufacture. The biggest concern is the seams and seal tape that is used to waterproof the seams of the zipper. I'm not familiar with the agents (ingredients) in PTFE. I'm not certain if it would damage the material of the suit. You can always reach out to the gear manufacture and they can help as well with recommendations on what to use on the zipper.

[@rgorji]

Hi: Great video. Portions of the video are tough to see as there is too much light (The video is too bright).

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Hello Reza, sorry about the whiteness in the video. Our lights definitely over saturated the shots.

[@rgorji]

@@LakeHickoryScuba Not a problem Still enjoyed the video alot.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thanks.

[@mycatumz640]

I use bees wax.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

This is always a great option, and a very inexpensive way to keep your zipper in good working order.

[@scubasteveandunderwaterroc3547]

Please don't get into drysuits. Once you get into you, you'll never want to go back to wetsuits 😂

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Until you realize you can't pee in the drysuit. Usually from July to October, we start hating our wetsuits and can't wait until colder weather so we can start diving our drysuits. Then around the middle to late April, we get tired of all the extra weight and hassle of putting on our drysuits, and we start craving warmer weather, so we can easily slip into our 3mm wetsuits. Its a never ending cycle with us.

[@scubasteveandunderwaterroc3547]

@@LakeHickoryScuba personally I dive a drysuit pretty much year-round. I dive in quarries, and as you may know it is normally really deep or a really shallow. And because of my depth limitations I'm normally in shallow water for a really long time.

[@pearls4avant]

@@LakeHickoryScuba p-valve 😉